EPILOGUE
If Emily had been asked a year ago if she had thought it would be possible to throw a cèilidh larger than the one she had after her wedding, she would have called them a liar. Least of all one that was thrown hastily.
It seemed like every time Kaden’s sisters had free rein, they tended to go wild.
But she could certainly admit that the hall was beautifully decorated. It hadn’t been simple, having everyone fall into a routine together. There certainly had been more than one instance of bruised feelings and arguments with so many women living so closely to one another. But by now, she could say that she truly felt she belonged here.
Here in this hall, surrounded by these walls, was where she belonged.
“Me Lady, the guests have started to arrive.”
Emily snapped out of her daze to focus on the maid in front of her. “Very good. Please show them inside. The piper should be ready any moment now.”
She glanced toward the end of the hall, where they had set up a stage for the performers. Sure enough, the piper had just finished his glass of wine and was starting to warm up with a few random notes.
A footman pulled the main doors open, and a few moments later, the sounds of distant chatter and laughter drifted in.
Kaden preceded them into the hall, walking with purpose. It made her heart skip a beat just to see him. It felt like the familiar flutter in her lower belly traveled down between her thighs every time she saw him.
Not that she was complaining. Hardly. If anything, ever since she had acknowledged her feelings for him, she could hardly keep her hands off him.
That just made tonight even more special.
“Now that it is happening, are ye finally going to tell me what we are celebrating?” Kaden asked as he stopped in front of her.
“I am sorely tempted to keep ye waiting for as long as possible, ye ken,” she answered in a sing-song voice.
He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her closer to him with a faux stern look. It was so rare that he was openly affectionate with her in front of other people instead of just keeping things contained to the bedroom.
She couldn’t help but giggle as he pressed his fingers into her side, playfully reminding her that he could tickle her whenever he wanted.
“Alright! I yield!” she squealed.
“This is to celebrate the completion of yer book. I’m right, am I nae? Ye might think that I hadnae noticed ye sequestering yerself in the library for hours on end. Ye would come to bed with ink clinging to every part of ye for weeks,” he murmured. “Ye daenae have to be so secretive about it anymore.”
“Ye think that ye ken everything, then?” She pushed at his chest, though she didn’t actually wish to be free from him.
“I think that if ye daenae tell me, I am going to find yer journals and find out for meself.”
“Ye wouldnae dare!” Emily gasped and swatted at his chest playfully.
Kaden pretended to be injured, and she quickly realized that the spot her hand had touched was the same one she had patched up a year ago. The skin was healed, but the scar would be there forever as a reminder of what they had gone through.
She was fairly certain that if she returned to that horrible cabin in the woods, the bastard’s corpse would still be lying on the ground where he had fallen. He hadn’t deserved an honorable death, and it certainly hadn’t taken Kaden long to absorb his clan and territories. She hadn’t even been surprised when the monster’s clansmen had quickly pledged their loyalty to him.
Emily had made sure to dedicate a whole chapter in her book about how leading by fear was never going to get anybody where they wanted. It was never going to be enough for those around them to stay loyal in the face of adversity. Instead, loyalty needed to be earned. Graham could have learned so much from Kaden if he had not been so blind and consumed by hatred. Rotten from the inside out.
At least the nightmares were far more infrequent now. For both of them.
“Ye wouldnae dare sneak a peek at me journals!”
Kaden smirked and shrugged one shoulder. “Aye, I suppose that ye are right.”
Emily twirled out of his grip. “Besides, this isnae for me book.”
The guests started filing into the hall, and the music kicked in at the same moment. It was just the distraction she needed to get away from him and change the subject. She would be more than happy to tell him what they were celebrating, but she was waiting for the right moment.
It didn’t take long for the cèilidh to become wild. She supposed it was only normal.
